Basic countries urge climate deal no later than 2011

Point Carbon, 25 April 2010 - A global climate deal should be agreed by the end of next year, Basic country ministers said Sunday.

The environment ministers of Brazil, South Africa, India and China (Basic) met in Cape Town over the weekend to discuss their approach at global climate change negotiations.

In a joint statement, the ministers said that a legally binding follow-up treaty to the Kyoto protocol should be agreed no later than the UN climate summit late next year, which will also be held in Cape Town.

“Developing countries strongly support international legally binding agreements, as the lack of such agreements hurts developing countries more than developed countries,” the statement said.

The four emerging economies, all major emitters of greenhouse gases, will meet regularly throughout 2010 in order to coordinate their positions in international climate talks.

In the Cape Town statement they reiterated the need for rich countries to scale up their emission reduction targets and also stressed that the UN process is the only legitimate forum for global talks.

Finance MRV

Several difficult issues have stymied progress at international climate talks, such as demands from industrialised countries that developing nations monitor, report and verify (MRV) their efforts to cut carbon emissions.

But Basic countries this weekend called for a monitoring regime to be applied to rich nations, proposing a work programme on MRV that would scrutinise whether developed countries were delivering on promises to provide climate financing.

The programme's first action should be to establish a common reporting format for developed countries' contributions, the Basic ministers said at the weekend meeting.

This proposal may also seek checks on the extent of technology transfer and capacity building support from rich countries, the statement said.

At UN climate talks in Copenhagen last year, rich countries agreed to give $10 billion in financing for climate change adaptation efforts from 2010, and gradually increase the amount to $100 billion per year by 2020.

US delay

The ministers also expressed disappointment that details on new climate legislation in the US, which had been expected later today, had been postponed because of a partisan political dispute.

Three senators had scheduled to present a new climate bill later today, but one of bill's co-sponsors, Republican Lindsey Graham, over the weekend forced a delay following plans by the Democrats to start a Senate debate on an immigration bill ahead of the climate legislation.

Basic ministers said “the world could not wait indefinitely (for the US), as it hinders our ability to reach an internationally legally binding agreement,” they said.

The group of ministers will meet again in Brazil in late July, and then in China towards the end of October.

Author Stian Reklev Publication Date 25 Apr 2010 Document Type News articles Issue/Topic Energy & Climate Source PointCarbon Include In RSS Business & Sustainable Development News Energy & Climate News